


till the sun turns black.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: a dyad in the force (aka all my ben/rey fics) [185]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Female Friendship, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Implied/Referenced Sex, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationship(s), Sibling Love, Siblings, Telepathic Bond, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:48:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: Ben didn't mind paying for it though, wanting nothing more than for the whiskey to permeate his senses and chill him the fuck out. It was just another night, just like how every night was just another night, and the fact that he'd been waiting for nearly six hundred years didn't matter. He was going to go to a club every night for the rest of eternity if that was what it took to find her, and he was determined to find her.He was just also intelligent enough to know that finding her was probably not going to happen that night. After all, it hadn't happened any night previous to that one. But there was still that chance that it could, so there in the club he sat. If nothing else, he could laugh about what the humans passed off as dancing again. Things had gotten so unbelievably uncivilized in the past two centuries.or: Ben, a vampire, finally finds his soulmate in the form of Rey, a human. Since this is how things are done, no one thinks anything of it. Rey finds herself part of the extended Skywalker family as a result, a family that expands again just a few weeks later. But Rey is not just any human; turning her into a vampire has just put a huge target on the back of Ben and his family.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: a dyad in the force (aka all my ben/rey fics) [185]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601755
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> and to think that I'd almost gotten myself to a point where I was only concurrently writing two things before Christmas. 
> 
> Anyway, hello awesome nerds! I am here with yet another story that is probably going to take thousands upon thousands of words to get out of my head. I cannot get this story out of my mind, and trying to just make notes on it turned into writing the first chapter, and, well, I need to know if it's any good or not. Whether anyone thinks it is or not (but hopefully, you do), I will be finishing this because it needs to get out of my head.
> 
> I blame the fact that this wasn't just notes written on the fact that Grey_Summers was nowhere to be found. (But only jokingly, my dear.)
> 
> Penciling this into my writing schedule as the goal of Saturdays, so that's when you can expect updates, but not every week. 
> 
> I don't even know how to explain this one so the summary probably completely sucks. I tagged everything I could think of at the moment. Those tags may change and will almost certainly grow.
> 
> And as always, if you like what you read, please let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void.

**New York City**

Ben settled into his chair in the upstairs portion of the club, bringing his glass of whiskey to his lips for a long sip. It was D-negative, which meant that it was incredibly rare, and he couldn't believe that the bartender had agreed to sell him the entire bottle.

Then again, he was Senator Leia Skywalker-Solo's only biological child, so he supposed the bartender didn't want any trouble with the law and charged him twice the price it normally would have been to get it. 

Ben didn't mind paying for it though, wanting nothing more than for the whiskey to permeate his senses and chill him the fuck out. It was just another night, just like how every night was just another night, and the fact that he'd been waiting for nearly six hundred years didn't matter. He was going to go to a club every night for the rest of eternity if that was what it took to find her, and he was determined to find her. 

He was just also intelligent enough to know that finding her was probably not going to happen that night. After all, it hadn't happened any night previous to that one. But there was still that chance that it could, so there in the club, he sat. If nothing else, he could laugh about what the humans passed off as dancing again. Things had gotten so unbelievably uncivilized in the past two centuries.

“That is not how I used to dance, for the record, before you try to pass it off like that,” Rose said as she sat down next to him, reaching for her own glass of wine. “I'm not sure if how I used to dance has even been taught in the last two centuries.”

“Then you should start giving lessons,” Ben said, taking another sip of his whiskey. “I'm sure you could make good money inventing what they would consider to be a new dance move.”

Rose laughed. “Probably, but I have no desire to be anyone's dance teacher. Besides, money isn't exactly a problem.” 

“After a couple of centuries as a vampire, money never is,” Ben pointed out. “At least, that's what my father tells me. I never had the problem of a human life to deal with.”

Rose just shook her head. “Yes, yes, you born vampire, you. How often you like to remind me and Poe that we weren't as fortunate and had to live pathetic human lives first.”

“I did not call human lives pathetic,” Ben pointed out. “Just said that I didn't have one.”

“Still remind us of it a lot though,” Rose said, turning her gaze to the dancers below them. “Anyone stood out yet?”

“Of course not,” Ben said, sighing. “I should be doing something more important than this. Work or something.”

“Since when do you actually do work?” Rose asked. “Because last I heard, your only job was to sit in these clubs until your mate came along. That's what I was told my job was. Only when that happens will I be put to work since I won't have a reason to be sitting here.”

Ben sighed again. “I hate those reasons. I hate that all I've done for the past six centuries is get up, have some breakfast, and come to the club. I don't even have friends anymore.”

“You have me and Poe,” Rose said firmly. 

“Well, yeah, but you two are more my siblings. I mean friends as in people not in the family.”

“Doesn't mean we're not your friends too. But yeah, I guess you're right. All the more reason to spend all the time in the club though. Then you can find your mate and get a friend for eternity.”

“That is not the only reason I want a mate,” Ben said, taking another long sip of his whiskey.

“Well, duh. I'd be upset if you didn't want to fuck too.”

Ben nearly choked. “Rose!”

“What?” Rose asked innocently. “I was only stating the obvious.”

“You need your mate so that you can be put into place.”

“If that is some sort of sexist joke, I'm pouring this wine over your head.”

“It was a joke, but not a sexist one.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Christ, Rose, what do you take me for, the Emperor and his den?” Ben shook his head. “I value your place in society. They are the sexist assholes who most certainly do not.”

“Ugh, don't remind me,” Rose said. “And don't talk about that. You don't know who is around to hear.”

Ben knew that the upstairs was mostly empty, but he also knew that she was right. Anyone in the building with good enough hearing could have heard every word he'd just said. “Moving on, is Poe back from Sydney yet?”

“Nope. I got a call right before he was about to board the plane about how much it was going to suck being stuck somewhere without a proper bed for so long. I'm not the one that made him decide going to Australia was the right idea, so I don't know why he thought whining to me about it would be a good one. I told him to just be thankful he was going to be sealed in Vampire Class and not sealed in a coffin for the next twenty-something hours.”

“He said something about crossing the Sydney Opera House off his bucket list, or some ridiculously human trope like that. I don't know why he needs to do things like that.”

“Of course you don't. You were born a vampire.”

Ben looked over at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means, just like Han did for Leia, your mate will get you to understand human things from a different perspective. Poe and I have that perspective. You don't.”

“So the fact that my father was once human doesn't already give me that perspective?”

“Have you ever felt the heat of the sun on your skin?”

“Of course not. My parents would never allow such a thing.”

“Then you don't have that perspective. Han probably can't even tell you how that feels anymore. Your mate, however, will be able to.”

“I never even thought about that,” Ben said, taking another sip of his whiskey. “Fuck, I love D-negative whiskey.”

“I would hope so with as much as you just paid for that bottle,” Rose declared. “I'll happily stick with my A-positive wine over here.”

“One of these days, Rose, you're going to want to live a little.”

“One of these days, Ben, you're going to not get so drunk.”

“That will come the day that I have a reason not to,” Ben said, closing his eyes and letting his senses stretch out. There were hundreds of women in the club at that moment, several of whom were ones that had caught his eye before. But none of them were her, and he was starting to think that he'd never find her, but still, he let his senses glide over every woman in the club.

And then he sat straight up, dropped his glass, and let his gaze narrow in on the woman he'd found.

The woman whose soul felt like his own.

**********

Rey finished getting her drink from the bartender and made her way through the crowd until she was leaning up against the wall near the bathrooms. She didn't know why she was at the club that night, only that her roommate had kicked her out so that she could cook dinner for her boyfriend, and since Rey didn't really have friends, she had nowhere else to go. She didn't want to see any of the movies that were currently out, she didn't have the money to do nothing but shop, and so she'd come to the club as a last resort.

She nursed her way through that drink and then went to get another, but before she could reach the bar, she felt a small double-tap to her right shoulder. She turned around and saw one of the club's employees standing behind her, but the uniform that the woman was wearing let Rey know that she didn't work on that floor of the club. 

She worked on the vampires' floor of the club.

Rey wanted to ask what the woman wanted with her, but she'd read enough books and magazines and pamphlets over the years to know what was happening. She just couldn't actually believe that it was happening to her.

Ever since the first night she'd ever set foot in a club, Rey had seen people be chosen around her. Fuck, the first guy she'd ever danced with had been chosen during their dance. It was the way that vampires found their human mates, she'd always known that, and she hadn't even been upset because that guy had seemed so excited.

Rey just never thought that she'd be chosen. Who could possibly want her around for eternity? 

“Yes?” she forced herself to say when the woman just stood there expectantly.

“Your presence has been requested upstairs,” the woman said kindly. “Would you like to come with me?”

Rey had been chosen, yes, but she had a choice too, and now was the moment to make it. Her various foster fathers over the years had always told her that this was the point to say no, that all this would lead to was her death. The person that Rey was now would cease to exist if she didn't tell this woman no, and a soulless creature would take her place.

But Rey had never felt that vampires were soulless creatures, always knew that the portrayal in films and television shows was probably grossly inaccurate, and well, she wouldn't really mind all that much if the person that she was then would cease to exist. Outside of her roommate, there was no one else to even notice that she was gone. Besides, whoever it was that had chosen her obviously felt like she was someone that would be cool to be around for eternity, so what did she have to lose?

“Yes,” Rey said, nodding. “I'll come with you. Can I get another drink first?”

“Trust me, you won't be needing it,” the woman said, wrapping one of her hands around Rey's elbow. “This way please.”

Rey was led to an elevator and then taken up to the second floor before being brought to an empty room. There were a couple of chairs, a table on which two bottles were chilling, and a large window looking down onto the club below. “Please have a seat,” the woman said. “I will return momentarily.”

Rey heard the door close behind her but didn't take a seat, keeping her gaze focused out the window. Deciding on that floor below her had been easy, but now that she was up on this floor, she was starting to wonder if maybe she'd made the right decision after all. 

Maybe she did have something to lose.

The door opened behind her again, but before she could turn to speak to the woman and tell her she might have made a mistake, she felt the presence. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she heard the woman say something to the vampire, and then the door was closing again, but the presence stayed.

Rey had been around vampires before. They came into the bar sometimes when she was waitressing, and the ones that she'd been around hadn't bothered her. They were mostly polite, they were rarely too drunk to stand, and they'd always tipped her well. Vampires didn't bother her. 

But the idea of turning around to face this vampire, this vampire that wanted her to be their mate, was suddenly terrifying.

“Hello,” came a soft voice, and Rey felt her breath catch in her throat when she realized how sexy it was.

“Hello,” she got out in response, keeping her eyes trained on the dance floor below.

She felt the presence come closer and sucked in a shuddering breath. “Are you nervous?” the man asked. “I won't judge you if you are. I am.”

Rey turned around without thinking at that, her eyes drinking in the sight of the man in front of her. He was gorgeous, utterly, spectacularly gorgeous, and she found herself in disbelief that the creature before her wanted anything to do with her. “You're nervous?” she asked. “I would have thought vampires don't get nervous.”

“Everyone gets nervous,” the man said, letting his eyes trail up and down her body. “You are breathtaking. And I don't have any breath to take.”

Rey let herself giggle. “You don't have to lie to me then.”

“I'm not,” the man said, stepping towards her again. “You're beautiful. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe you.”

Rey felt her cheeks warm. “Well, thank you for the compliment.”

“May I know your name?” the man asked.

“Rey,” she offered. “Yours?”

“Ben,” he said, taking another step forward. “It is wonderful to finally meet you, Rey.”

“Finally?” she asked, curious.

“Ever since I came of age, I've spent almost every single night in a club somewhere in the world waiting for you to walk in, knowing that some night you would. And that night was tonight. I've never been happier than knowing that you really are real.”

Rey was a little taken aback by that but she didn't let it show. “And how long are we talking here?”

“I think that is something that can wait, don't you?”

Rey just shook her head. “No. I want to know how long you've been waiting for me. You don't look that much older than me, but I know better than to just assume that to be the truth. You are a vampire, after all.”

“Fair enough,” Ben said, smiling at her. “I am almost seven-hundred-years-old.”

Rey felt her jaw drop open in shock. “Seven hundred.”

“Six hundred and eighty-six, if you want to get specific.”

Rey shook herself of her stupor. “And you've been waiting how long of that for me?”

“Well, since the moment my soul was formed, which occurred at the moment of my birth, but from a legal standpoint, almost six hundred years. You have to reach your majority before you can begin to search for your mate, and you reach that at one hundred and ten.”

“I need a drink,” was out of Rey's mouth before she could stop it, and Ben laughed.

“Champagne then?”

Rey nodded. “I've never had champagne.”

“Then I will make sure you have all that you want until you can no longer drink it,” Ben said as he walked over to the table.

Rey felt her breath catch again. “No longer drink it.”

Ben looked over at her. “You do know what happens when someone is chosen, right?”

Rey forced herself to nod. “I do. I just hadn't really put much thought into that in the last few minutes.”

Ben poured her a glass and came closer, holding out the champagne. “It doesn't have to be done tonight, so don't think I'm going to force that on you.”

Rey reached out with a shaking hand to take the glass, surprised when their fingers brushed that his skin wasn't as cold as she'd thought it would be. “You're warmer than I expected.”

“Yes, there is a lot about us that the humans have wrong. We've just never bothered on correcting them at a mass scale,” Ben said softly. “But I want you to ask whatever you want, okay? I won't lie to you.”

“Good because otherwise, eternity could become quite complicated,” Rey tried to joke, bringing the glass to her lips and taking a long sip. “This is really good.”

“I've been told so, but I've never tasted it,” Ben replied, walking back to the table and pouring himself a glass of whiskey. 

“You've never tasted champagne? Not even in your human life?”

“I didn't have a human life. I was born a vampire.”

The glass slipped out of Rey's grasp and down to the floor. “You were _born_ a vampire?”

Ben took a long sip of his whiskey before bending down to collect Rey's glass, setting it to the side and filling another with champagne for her. “Yes, you can be born a vampire. Vampires find their mates in humans, the human is chosen and then turned, and then once they are both vampires, children can be conceived.”

“Okay, wow,” Rey said, taking the glass from him and drinking half of it down. “So what you're saying is that you and I could have kids together.”

“I would like to have children, so yes, we could have kids together,” Ben said, studying her. “If you are opposed to that, however, I will just turn some people to serve as children for us.”

“Turn some people,” Rey started, but then she shook her head. “One thing at a time. No, I'm not saying children is a bad thing. I always wanted kids so I could finally have some family. I just sort of thought I was giving all of that up.”

“No, it is very much an option for you. For us.” Ben sipped at his whiskey for a moment before groaning. “I need to kiss you. Is that alright?”

Rey's eyes were slightly wide, but she nodded. Ben set his glass to the side and then took hers from her as well, stepping into her personal space and caressing the side of her face. “You are so incredibly sexy in this dress,” he said lowly. “I just want to tear it off of you and have my way with you.”

Rey swallowed hard as she felt herself pulled flush against him. “Ben.”

“I'll start with a kiss and then we'll see what you feel like from there, okay?” Ben said, and when Rey nodded, he pressed their lips together. He tightened his arms around her when he realized how absolutely perfect it felt to have her there, how she fit where no one else ever had, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to let his power overwhelm her. 

Fuck, this was the best he'd ever felt.

It was the best Rey had ever felt too. Her hands came up to tangle in Ben's hair as more emotions flowed through her than she thought she'd felt in her entire life. Ben felt right where everyone else had always felt wrong, and she knew immediately that they really were each other's mates. There was no other explanation for it.

Ben broke the kiss and moved away from her when he realized his control was slipping, and he reached for his glass and downed it quickly. He poured himself another and knocked that straight back as well, and by the time he felt in control enough to face her again, Rey had finished her champagne and was pouring herself some more. 

“That was, um,” Ben started, unsure of how to explain things, but Rey spoke before he could continue.

“Intense,” she said. “Intense and amazing and the best I have ever felt in my life.”

Ben smiled when she turned to him. “That is exactly what I was going to say.”

“I can't wait for it to happen again,” Rey said, drinking her new glass down in one sip. “In fact, I'm more than ready for it to happen again.”

“Me too,” Ben said. “But I think that it would be wise not to do it again here. I meant what I said about wanting to tear that dress off of you and if we kiss again, I'm not going to be able to stop myself from doing so. The club wouldn't mind that much because sometimes you have no control over it, but they generally frown upon it, and my mother is a senator so it would get out, and lots of problems would be had.”

Rey looked up at him while pouring herself another glass. “Your mother?”

Ben nodded. “I sincerely hope that my sister didn't call to let her know this has happened because I would like you to myself for a few days. The moment Mama finds out that I've met you, she'll be arriving here in no time.”

Rey smiled widely when she heard the word sister too. “You have a family.”

“A kind of obnoxious one, yes, but a family. And they are your family too now.”

“I've never had a family of my own,” she breathed out. “I've always wanted one.”

“Then I am more than happy to give you one,” Ben said, reaching out and taking her hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss. “But I do want you to myself for a few days. I just am almost positive that it won't happen.”

“Then we better make the most of the time we do have alone,” Rey said, suddenly certain that she'd made the right decision in coming upstairs as she drained her glass. “I assume you have a place? Because we can't go back to mine.”

“Of course we can't. It's in the human world,” Ben said, grabbing his bottle of whiskey. “But yes, I have a place in the underground city. I am happy to take you there.”

“The faster the better,” Rey said, laughing when Ben took her hand faster than she could blink. “I'm going to have a lot of questions for you in the morning.”

“Don't worry, I'll be glad to answer them,” Ben said, walking them to the door and pressing a button next to it. “That will alert them that we're gone. We'll head down the backstairs and get to my car.”

“The parking lot is in front of the club,” Rey said, confused, as they walked out of the room.

“The one for humans is, yes,” Ben said, leading her down a dimly lit hallway. “But I am parked underground.”

“I've never been to one of the underground cities before.”

“Then I can't wait for you to explore with me. Just not tonight. We've got other plans.”

“I can't wait.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Alderaan**

Rey woke up in a strange room, and when she tried to move, she immediately noted that she was incredibly sore. She'd obviously had a one night stand of some sort and the fact that she was in pain alarmed her. She forced herself to roll onto her back, looking at the other side of the bed to find it empty. That was good because she wasn't sure she was ready to face whoever this man was, but also not good because she now had no idea where he was. 

Rey grimaced as she sat up, scanning the room with her eyes and finding it incredibly neat but for the clothes they had thrown around the night before. She spotted her dress hanging off of the closet door and slowly stood up, making her way over to it and pulling it down. A glance around the room didn't turn up her underwear so she decided to just go without it. She carefully put the dress back on and turned to the mirror that was there. Bruises marred her skin from her jawline down her neck and then into the front of her dress, and she frowned when she noticed that some of them were grazed too. What did this guy do, want to bite her?

She ran her hands through her hair to try and get it looking good enough that she didn't mind being seen in public, took a deep breath, and left the room. Music was softly playing and she assumed that would be where she would find the man, so she decided that she would just slip out the front door while he was occupied. There was absolutely no need for them to see each other again. She found the front door and carefully unlocked it, slowly opening it and slipping outside. She closed the door and turned around to figure out where she was, and that's when she froze. 

Where the fuck was she?

She looked around at all the houses that looked like they had been carved out of solid rock, at the road before her that looked like it was granite instead of asphalt, and then turned her gaze to the sky, or at least where the sky should be, but instead, she found a rock ceiling and several bright lights. She stood there staring at it for a moment before swallowing hard as the realization hit her.

She was in an underground city, and she would only be in an underground city if she'd gone home with a vampire.

She tried desperately to recall what had happened the night before, knowing that she needed to get the hell out of there. But a human walking alone in an underground city was like asking for someone to murder her, and Rey really would prefer to stay alive. Nothing was coming to her beyond a really hot guy and some fucking incredible sex, and then she heard a low whistle.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here, boys?”

Rey looked to her left to see a group of three men walking towards her, and she could tell from their stumbling steps that they were drunk. She knew that running was the right idea but she didn't know where she would run to, and her heart rate quickened as the men came closer. “I don't want any trouble,” she forced herself to say, but that just made them laugh.

“Oh, you won't be any trouble, I assure you of that,” one of them said, and Rey took a step backward when they came closer to her. “Mm, you look delicious.”

Rey was starting to panic and she stepped back to the house, pressing herself against the door and praying for someone to come help her. “I'm really not, I assure you.”

The men laughed and then the one who had been talking to her was suddenly right in front of her, reaching for her wrist. “Feisty, I see. We'll have to have a lot of fun with you then. I always do love it when you silly humans beg.”

The man started to pull Rey towards the others, and his grip was too strong for her to break free of. “No. No. Please.”

The man turned to her with bared fangs, but before a word could be said, the door opened behind her. “And where do you think you're going with her?”

The sound of the man's voice made all of the night before come flooding back into Rey's mind, and she was glad when she felt him come up behind her. “Ben.”

The man holding onto her wrist tugged her forward more. “Looks like you had her for a little snack earlier. We're gonna have a full meal now.”

Before the man could say another thing, Ben was in front of Rey, and he pulled her wrist from his grasp. “You have messed with the wrong man, and I am not letting you go anywhere with my mate.”

At the word mate, the other two sobered up really quickly. “Jimmy,” one of them said. “Let's leave them alone and get out of here.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “Finders, keepers, and all that. I found her, I'm keeping her.”

Ben growled and Rey took a few steps back. “Would you like to say that to me again?”

“I said, I'm keeping her,” Jimmy declared, smirking at him. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Ben stood there, fangs bared, with a grin on his face. “Thank you, but you've done enough.”

Before Jimmy could say a thing, they were surrounded by other vampires, this time in uniform, who were yelling at the men to give themselves up. Rey had absolutely no idea where they had come from, but once a couple of them had a hold of Jimmy, Ben turned and went to her, wrapping her up in his arms. “It's okay, Rey. You're okay now.”

Rey watched as the men were led away from them and put into a van that had arrived, and then one of the uniformed vampires approached them. “Nice use of the emergency system, Ben. But you really shouldn't let her out here by herself.”

“I didn't know she was,” Ben said, shaking his hand. “Thanks for coming so quickly, Obi-Wan.”

“It's what we do,” Obi-Wan said, turning his attention to Rey. “I'm sure you are terrified, but please know that you're safe here, especially since you're with Ben. He more than knows how to handle himself.”

Rey just nodded and Ben tightened his arms around her. “Rey, this is my grandfather's best friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan, this is Rey. We just found each other last night.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Rey offered weakly. “Thank you for getting here when you did.”

“All part of the job of the Protection Force, my lady,” Obi-Wan said, turning to look at the other officers. “Looks like we're done here. Someone will be calling about setting up a time for questioning.”

“I'll look for that then,” Ben said, and Obi-Wan nodded. 

“Get her inside before someone else tries something stupid like this. And that's an order.”

Ben laughed but carefully led Rey back into the house, closing and locking the door before leaning up against it. “Why were you outside? I had no idea you were out there until I heard the doorbell.”

“Doorbell?” Rey asked, confused. “I didn't ring the doorbell.”

“Did you press up against the door?”

“Yes.”

“You must have accidentally done it then,” Ben said, running his hands over his face. “But seriously, why were you out there? Were you leaving?”

Rey nodded. “I didn't remember what had happened. I thought I was just at some one night stand's place and was trying to slip out unnoticed.”

“Ah,” Ben said, reaching for her. “I understand. But if you want to leave, I will take you up to ground level and then drive you home. It will kill me to do it, but I will understand.”

“No,” Rey said, settling herself against him. “I don't want to leave. I just really didn't remember what had happened.”

Ben kissed the top of her head and smiled. “That's good to know. But I think we probably do need to go up to the ground level. I don't have anything for you to eat, and there definitely isn't anywhere down here that will have that either.”

“Can you even go up there right now?” Rey asked, looking around for a clock. “I don't know what time it is.”

“It's about an hour past sundown, so yes, it's safe for me to go there,” Ben said, pulling her away and getting a good look at her. “But you look like you've been attacked, so it's probably not safe for you to go up there.”

Rey felt a blush spread through her. “You had a hard time holding yourself back last night, didn't you? I'm sorer than I have ever been in my life right now.”

Ben's eyes widened. “What?”

“I can just tell that I got fucked a lot,” Rey said quietly. “And generally when you are fucked that much in a night, it makes you really sore. My body isn't used to that much sex, and definitely not at the intensity that last night was. So I'm in some pain.”

“I'm sorry,” Ben said immediately. “I had no idea I was hurting you. I was trying so hard not to but you are intoxicating and I apparently lost control.”

Rey shook her head. “You didn't hurt me. This is more a reaction to getting quite the workout. But you didn't hurt me. I would have said something if you did.”

Ben reached for her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “What can I do to help soothe the pain?”

“Well, I definitely need some pain relievers. And soaking in a nice hot bath would probably help too.”

“I can do the bath now, but I'll have to go get you pain relievers. I don't have anything that you can take.”

Rey let Ben pull her back to him. “You have a bathtub?”

“I have a giant bathtub that would fit us both easily,” Ben told her. “But I don't think we should be in it together until you're fully turned. I'm not even sure we should have sex again until you're fully turned. I don't want to hurt you any more.”

“You didn't hurt me,” Rey stressed again. “But that might be a good idea. It'll take me a couple of days to recover from this for sure.”

“I wonder if that will happen to you once you're turned,” Ben mused. “We'll have to ask someone about that.”

Rey coughed. “Ask someone?”

“Yes. My mother would know.”

“You want to ask your mother about this?” Rey got out. “Ben, that's embarrassing.”

“What's embarrassing about it?”

“Well, I don't particularly want to talk to your mother about our sex life. That thought is rather horrifying.”

“Then we'll ask Rose instead.”

“And who is Rose?”

“My sister. She doesn't have her mate yet, but that doesn't stop her from finding people to bring home with her, that's for sure. My grandmother says that's normal for a turned vampire who hasn't found their mate. She already had a sex life before she was turned.”

“Well, asking your sister would be preferable to your mother, but I really don't want to have this conversation with her either.”

“I don't know who else we could ask besides other members of the family or friends of ours, and something tells me you wouldn't be comfortable with that either.”

“Do you think it would be on the internet?” Rey asked. “Everything's on the internet.”

“Everything human is on the internet,” Ben clarified. “But there is a similar service for the Vampiric Empire that we can look on. I'm sure there has to be something about sex on the Holonet, especially given how much the Empire encourages us to participate in it.”

“The Vampiric Empire?” Rey said after a moment. “That's a real thing? Not something made up for the movies?”

“No, it's a real thing. It's a terrible thing too, but that's not something to talk about for the moment. Discussing politics is not what needs to be happening right now.”

“Then what needs to be happening?”

“Getting you into that bath you wanted,” Ben said, breaking their embrace and reaching for Rey's hand. “And I will head up to ground level and get some food that you can eat while you're in there. Should probably get some clothes for you as well.”

“You can just go to my apartment and get some of my stuff,” Rey said, but Ben shook his head.

“I can't just go walk into a human apartment, Rey. That's against our laws.”

Rey followed him down a hallway. “Your laws?”

“Vampires have laws the same way that humans do. Ours are just very different. But one of them is that we are not to enter into private homes in the human world under any circumstances. Not even if you went with me would I go in. It's very important that I not be seen to be breaking any laws. Too many headlines would happen.”

“Headlines?”

“I told you, my mother's a senator,” Ben said, leading Rey into the biggest bathroom she'd ever seen in her life. “Let me get that bath going for you. You get undressed.”

“So there's a vampire senate?” Rey asked as she watched Ben turn on the taps of the tub that was bigger than she'd been picturing in her head. “And an emperor too, I guess?”

“Yes, but as I said, now is not the time for discussing politics,” Ben said as the tub began to fill with water. “You'll have to determine how hot you want it. Something tells me that the temperatures I can tolerate are not something that you can, especially at the moment.”

Rey nodded and walked over to the bathtub, sitting down on its edge and sticking her fingers underneath the spray. “Well, you're right about that, because that is way too hot.”

“Then we'll turn on the cold water tap and cool it down,” Ben said, reaching for a different knob. “I hadn't even turned the hot water up yet. That's just how it naturally is here.”

“That's how it naturally is?” Rey asked, her eyes wide. “Then yes, the cold water will be very much necessary. Probably always.”

“Don't make that declaration quite yet. Your body will be completely changed once you're turned. Everything will be different,” Ben said, standing up. “I'll leave you to your bath if that's alright with you. I can go get the things you need.”

“That's fine,” Rey said, reaching out to adjust the water temperature some more. “And this is the best bathroom ever, by the way. I'm going to love having this.”

Ben smiled at her. “I'm glad that you're liking your new home. Or well, the first of them. I have others in different cities around the world.”

“You're really rich, aren't you?”

“Extremely,” Ben said. “But after you've lived for a couple of centuries, most vampires are quite wealthy. We'll get into all of that too. You'll need to be told about a lot of things that will happen now, but that can wait. Tell me what I need to get for you and I will.”

Rey told him what type of pain reliever she normally took and then what size clothes she wore. “But seriously, just get like a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants or something. I don't need a dress like I'm wearing.”

“I will get you some comfortable clothes, but I quite like that dress,” Ben said, looking her up and down. “I did like it more when it was hanging on my closet door though.”

Rey laughed and Ben turned to leave. “Ben?” she called out before he could. “You can't go to my apartment, but can I?”

“Once we begin the registration process, you will go back there with a few human employees of the Empire and they will help collect everything you wish to bring with you to this new life. But you cannot go back there without them unless you tell me right now that you don't want this. This is your last chance to make that choice.”

Rey took all of that in before nodding. “I want this.”

“Then once I am back and you are feeling better, we can begin the registration process,” Ben said, smiling at her. “Enjoy your bath. I'll return as quickly as I can. And please, don't leave the house.”

“Don't worry, Ben. I'm not going anywhere but into this tub.”

Ben smiled and left the room, and Rey turned her attention back to making sure that the water was just the right temperature. She looked around and saw some bottles sitting on the ledge next to it, examined them until she found one labeled as bath elixir, and opened the cap to see what was inside of it. She poured a little bit out into her hand, sniffed it, determined that it was probably a liquid form of a bath bomb, and poured some into the water. 

The water was swirling with various shades of blue in moments, and Rey smiled as the scent rose through the air. It was definitely more masculine than feminine but it was pleasant. She could just imagine Ben lying in a bath and wondered if she'd be able to convince him to do that with her often. Rey had always loved soaking in a bathtub, but she'd only lived in one place with one since she'd left foster care, and that had been almost five years ago. She was going to enjoy every second of this, no matter how sore she was. 

She turned off the water when the bathtub was full enough, standing up and carefully taking off her dress. She tossed it to the side and stepped into the water, submerging herself up to her neck. The water felt heavenly on her sore body and she settled against the bathtub, letting her eyes drift closed. Absolutely everything in her life was about to change and she should be quite concerned about all of it, but she really wasn't. Something had led her to this, led her to Ben, and she couldn't help but think that her whole life had been destined for this moment, that she'd always been destined to be a vampire.

That didn't scare her anywhere near as much as she thought it should.

When Ben got back an hour later, he went into the bathroom to find Rey asleep in the bathtub. He let his eyes sweep over her body for a moment before reaching out and pressing the button that would drain the water. He searched for some towels while it did, and when he came back to the empty bathtub, he saw that Rey was blinking at him sleepily. “Ben?”

“You fell asleep,” Ben said, opening up one of the towels and then reaching for her. “And you should be in a bed if you're going to sleep, especially if you're in pain.”

Rey blinked when Ben picked her up effortlessly, sighing contentedly when he set her down on her feet and then began to dry her with the towel. “You're being very tender.”

“Did you think that vampires couldn't be tender?”

“Wasn't sure,” Rey murmured. “I mean, you were pretty rough with me last night.”

“I'm sorry,” Ben said again. “I should have been in more control of myself but I just couldn't help it.”

Rey reached out and pulled Ben into a kiss. “Stop apologizing. It's fine. I'm just saying, I wasn't entirely sure that tender was something you could do. I'm happy to find that it is.”

Ben let Rey take the towel from him and finish drying herself, and then he picked her up with ease again. “The clothes that I bought are in the bedroom. I even got you some pajamas.”

“Mmm, nice,” Rey said, nuzzling Ben's neck. “I don't know that I want to put them on though.”

“I have no issues with you sleeping naked in my bed,” Ben said, smiling. “But since I can't fuck you for a while, I would prefer that you wore the pajamas so that my self-control doesn't break.”

“Fine,” Rey said as they walked into the bedroom. “I'll wear the pajamas.”

“Thank you,” Ben said, setting her on the bed. “The clothes are in the bags next to you. Are you hungry?”

“Kind of,” Rey said, reaching for one of the bags. “What did you get for me to eat?”

“I'm not entirely sure,” Ben said. “I just went into the store, asked for appropriate nourishing items for a young adult female human, and the person helping me gathered some things and I purchased them. You'll have to take it from there because I have no idea about human food.”

“Then I'll go figure it out in a minute,” Rey said, pulling the pajamas out of the bag. “These are cute.”

“The woman in that store picked out all of the clothes,” Ben said. “I asked for comfortable clothes and she assured me that these are that.”

“They're soft, that's for sure,” Rey said, standing up slowly. “I feel a little better after the bath but please tell me you got the pain relievers too.”

“I did. They are in the kitchen. I purchased some bottled water and champagne for you as well.”

“Thank you,” Rey said as she looked around. “Um, you didn't happen to buy any underwear, did you?”

“No,” Ben said after a moment. “I didn't think of that.”

Rey sighed and looked around the room. “I don't even know what happened to the ones I was wearing yesterday.”

Ben coughed slightly. “I ripped them getting them off of you if you remember.”

Rey thought about it for a moment, nodded, and then pulled the pajama bottoms on. “Well, when I am allowed to go back to the apartment, I'll definitely be getting mine and bringing them here.”

Ben watched as she put the shirt on as well, and then Rey walked over to him. “Take me to where the pain relievers and food are, please. Then I want to go back to sleep.”

“Right this way.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Alderaan**

The phone ringing woke Rey from her sleep, and she looked over at Ben to see if it had woken him up as well. But Ben was still sleeping and Rey decided she'd just let the call go to voicemail. Whoever it was that was calling was someone Ben could get in touch with later.

But the phone didn't stop ringing and Ben kept sleeping.

Eventually, Rey climbed out of the bed and walked to the desk where Ben's phone was sitting. She picked it up and saw the name that was stated there, remembered that Ben had said Rose was his sister, and made a decision. Swallowing hard, Rey figured out how to answer it.

Before she could get a greeting out, Rose started talking. “Ben, what the fuck are you not answering me for? This is important!”

“Is this Rose?” Rey asked, and there was silence on the other end of the line. “If so, I'm sorry but Ben is asleep right now.”

“You're the girl, right?” Rose asked. “Rey.”

“You know my name?”

“I've talked to Ben about you,” Rose said, and Rey couldn't remember that happening. Must have been while she was asleep. “Anyway, I've been trying to get through to Ben but I wasn't getting a response, so I decided that calling was the next thing to do. The phone ringing didn't wake him either?”

“What do you mean you were trying to get through to Ben? I thought that calling was the only way to do that.”

Rose sighed heavily. “He hasn't taught you anything yet, has he?”

“I've been sleeping a lot while trying to get used to the change of being up all night,” Rey said. “He's said some things but not everything.”

“I should not be the one teaching you these things,” Rose murmured. “But vampires are telepathic, Rey. You'll only be able to communicate with Ben right now because he is your maker, but as you get more used to it, then the rest of the family will let you into our minds as well.”

“Telepathic?” Rey said after a moment. “Seriously?”

“Do yourself a favor, okay? Take everything you think you know about vampires and forget it. We'll teach you the truth.”

“Okay,” Rey said softly. “I'll try.”

“It'll be easier the more you get used to your new body. Trust me.”

“Yes, Ben was saying my body will be different after he turns me, but I didn't really think about that too much.”

Rose was silent again for a few moments. “You're still human?”

“Yes, for the moment.”

Rose let out a noise that Rey thought might be a growl. “Go wake Ben up and put him on the phone please.”

“Okay,” Rey said shakily. “One moment.”

Rey set the phone down on the desk and walked over to the bed, reaching out and gently shaking Ben's shoulder. “Ben? Ben, wake up. Your sister wants to talk to you. Ben. Come on, Ben. Time to get up.”

Ben's eyes flew open and he sat up, and Rey's eyes widened when he turned his gaze on her. “Where's Rose?”

“On the phone,” Rey said, pointing towards the desk.

Ben quickly got up and walked over to the desk, snatching the phone up. “What the fuck is so goddamn important that you decided to scream at me?”

“So, I might have accidentally mentioned that you found your mate in front of Padmé,” Rose said quickly. “And she might have demanded that you bring her to dinner in the morning.”

Ben made a noise that Rey decided was definitely a growl. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

“I'm sorry! We were just talking about the club and I said that it's been rather lonely the last two nights since you aren't there anymore because you found her, and it just came out.”

Ben closed his eyes and banged his hand against the desk five times. “You are lucky I don't come tear your throat out.”

“Oh, come on, this is not that big of a deal,” Rose said seriously. “It's just dinner with the family, and she's part of the family now, so she's gonna have to get used to it.”

“If she was turned, this would not be a big deal. But you are asking me to bring my mate who is still human to dinner with the entire family, and you know as well as I do that is not acceptable. There will be nothing there for her to eat, there will be nothing there for her to drink, and I am not about to have the entire family salivating over my mate!”

“We wouldn't do that!”

“The fuck you wouldn't!”

Rose realized that was a fight she wasn't going to win and backed off. “If I have Padmé get some food and drink that Rey can have, will you come then? She's so excited to meet her.”

Ben looked over at where Rey was sitting on the bed. “I need to talk to her about it and then I will let you know.”

“Fine, but get back to me as soon as possible. If we need to get stuff that she can have, we need to do it before the sun starts to rise.”

Ben hung up before another word could be said. “Fuck, I hate her.”

“I'm willing to bet that you don't,” Rey said, patting the bed next to her. “Come talk to me about this.”

Ben sat down next Rey and reached for her hand. “You can say no to this. I want to say that first.”

“It sounds like I've been invited to dinner with your family,” Rey said softly. “And that is very intimidating.”

“Yes, you've been invited to dinner with the family. No, you don't have to go.”

Rey looked over at him. “Do you not want me to meet your family?”

“While you're still human? Absolutely not. They'll love you, I do not doubt that, but I don't want your first meeting to be with them salivating over the blood flowing through your veins.”

Rey smiled at him. “You're trying to protect me.”

“Of course I am!” Ben exclaimed. “I will always do whatever is necessary to protect you. Even from my family.”

Rey leaned over and kissed him. “That's nice to hear. I've never had anyone willing to protect me before.”

“What about your parents?” Ben asked.

“They died in an accident when I was six. I spent the rest of my childhood going from foster home to foster home, families only taking me in because they wanted the check that came along with me. The day I turned eighteen and was free of that was amazing. But I've never had anyone that looks out for me, that wants to protect me from things before and I'm really happy to hear that you will.”

Ben caressed the side of Rey's face. “I will always protect you. I promise.”

Rey nuzzled his hand and smiled. “Do you think that one of your family members will try to attack me if I go?”

“Honestly? No. But they will be fixated on your blood.”

“Does that mean you are?”

Ben nodded. “I want to know how you taste. I really do. But I'm afraid that if I start then I won't be able to stop, and you don't seem ready to be turned yet.”

“And if I said I was?” Rey said quietly. 

Ben grabbed onto Rey's face and made her look him in the eyes. “We've barely talked about the transformation.”

Rey stared at him for a moment before speaking. “I know. But I just...I don't want to be this person anymore. I want to be the person I was meant to be. You're going to bring me to life and I'm ready for that.”

“You're one hundred percent positive that you're ready?” Ben asked. “Because once I start, I won't be able to stop.”

Rey sat there for a moment before nodding, and before she knew it, she was flat on her back on the bed and Ben was hovering over her, fangs bared. “You have to ask me to do it,” Ben said, trying to keep control of himself. “It's the way our laws work.”

Rey took a deep breath before nodding. “Ben, would you please turn me?”

Ben broke out into a grin and bent down to kiss Rey softly. “Listen to me and do everything I say, okay? Otherwise, the transformation will take longer and be more painful.”

“It's going to be painful?”

“Your entire body is going to change, Rey. I imagine that's painful. But it's okay. It'll be fine. I promise.”

Rey took another deep breath before nodding. “I can withstand some pain. I was just curious.” 

“Then do absolutely everything I tell you to, okay?”

“I will,” Rey said, tilting her neck to the side. “I'm ready.”

Ben shifted onto one arm and brought his free hand up to trail his fingers along her pulse point. After he'd chosen his spot, he bent down and kissed it. “Take a deep breath.”

Rey did as asked and Ben smiled. “Take another.”

Rey took another and smiled when she felt Ben kiss her skin again. “Ben.”

“Take another because this one will be your last.”

Rey inhaled slowly, and just as she began to exhale, Ben's fangs sank into her skin and the world turned black.

**********

**Coruscant**

“Your Majesty, we have tracked all possible living descendants of yours and found the last who is still living,” Hux said, swallowing hard when the high-backed chair swiveled around so Sheev Palpatine came into view.

“So you have found the one then,” Sheev said, humming for a moment. “I want them brought to me.”

“I have already dispatched a team to go and retrieve her, sir,” Phasma said from next to Hux. “She is located in New York City, so it should not take long to bring her to you.”

“Her?”

“Yes, sir,” Hux said. “The last living descendant of yours is a young adult female human.”

“How old is she?”

Phasma looked down at the notes in her hand. “Twenty-four.”

“Excellent,” Sheev said, grinning. “And her name?”

“Her name is Rey, sir,” Hux said.

“Then I cannot wait to meet the future Empress,” Sheev said, waving them away. “Go and arrange a place for her to stay in the house. Make sure it has every comfort a human would want. And be certain that there are food and drink for her. I don't want her to die from starvation or dehydration before I turn her.”

“We will, sir,” Phasma said, turning to leave the room. 

Once they were outside of Sheev's office, Hux turned to Phasma. “The future Empress?”

“That's what he said,” Phasma murmured. “And I have absolutely no idea what that is supposed to mean. I don't like it though.”

“I don't like it either,” Hux responded. “I'll take the room, you take the food? You know far more about humans than I do anymore.”

“That is true. I'll meet you at home once we're both done. Getting this ready before sunrise is important.”

“I agree. I'll see you at home then.”

**********

**Alderaan**

Ben was in the kitchen when he heard the small groan, and he raced back into the bedroom to see Rey stretching. “Rey. How are you feeling?”

Rey slowly opened her eyes and gave Ben a sleepy smile. “I feel incredible.”

“Yeah?” Ben said, walking into the room and sitting down on the bed next to her. “How so?”

“It's like the filter has been taken off my eyes and I can finally see clearly,” Rey murmured. “Everything is brighter and more vibrant. You're even more gorgeous than you were before. It's incredible.”

“All of your senses will be heightened now. Quite extensively too.”

Rey turned to Ben and pulled him into a deep kiss, laughing when her fangs grazed her lips. “That's going to take some getting used to.”

Ben laughed and brought his thumb up to her lip, wiping away the little bit of blood that she'd drawn and licking his thumb clean. “Mm, you taste even better now.”

“I can still bleed?”

Ben nodded. “People think that turning into a vampire means that you die. You don't die. You are just transformed into something different. Something better, in my opinion. But you still have blood in your veins and it will stay there, circulating throughout your body even though your heart no longer beats. If you are attacked and lose too much blood, then you can die.”

Rey's eyes were wide by the time that Ben finished, but he just wrapped his arms around her. “I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Rey settled against him and tried to take a deep breath, realizing after a moment that air wasn't filling her lungs. “You weren't kidding about how I don't need to breathe anymore, were you?”

“No, I wasn't,” Ben said, smiling when Rey pressed a kiss to his neck. “Are you feeling up to leaving the house? Because there is a lot that needs to be done now that you're turned.”

“Like what?”

“Like finishing up the business of your human life. I'm sure that you have been reported missing by this point. We need to inform the human police that you have instead been turned so they don't waste their resources on searching for you. Also, I'm sure you're probably hungry.”

The moment that Ben said that was the moment that Rey realized she was starving. “I am so thirsty.”

“Well, I wasn't expecting this to happen today so I don't have enough food in the house to satisfy your appetite, and you need to learn how to use one anyway, so let's head to a feeding zone.”

“A feeding zone? What the fuck is a feeding zone?”

“You'll see,” Ben said, pulling away from Rey and standing up. “Get dressed. I'll go make sure that it's safe to go to ground level. If it's not, then we'll just go to a restaurant.”

“Vampires have restaurants?”

“Vampires have all kinds of things,” Ben said, bending down to kiss her quickly. “I'll meet you in the kitchen.”

Rey nodded and Ben left the room, so she stood up and made her way towards the chair where the clothes Ben had bought her were. She hadn't worn anything but the pajamas yet, not needing anything else when she wasn't leaving the house, but now she had to look good enough to go out in public. She looked through them all before choosing a shirt, then looked through them again to see if there was a pair of pants she could wear with it. She was about to give up hope when she found a pair of black knit pants that were nothing like anything she'd usually wear but would work until she got some better clothes. 

Dressing quickly, she walked from the bedroom into the bathroom, completely unsure of how she was supposed to do her hair since she wouldn't be able to see her reflection. But as soon as the mirror came into view, she jumped because there it was, staring back at her. Rey was entranced by how she looked. Her skin looked like it was porcelain and her eyes seemed to be a brighter shade of brown. She looked beautiful. She looked amazing. She looked sexy. 

Rey had never thought about any of those three things when looking at her reflection before.

She looked around to see if Ben had an extra comb, found a brand new hairbrush sitting there, and smiled. Taking the brush out of its packaging, she turned her attention to her hair, doing everything she could to get it into some sort of style that she wouldn't mind being seen publicly in. Groaning when it wouldn't tame itself the way she wanted it to, she looked around and saw that a few hair ties were laying on the other side of the counter. She hadn't been wearing any when she'd gone to the club, so she assumed that they were Ben's and snatched them up. She was curious as to why he had them now, but his hair was long enough that she supposed at times they were necessary. She quickly fixed her hair into her usual casual style of three buns and then headed in the direction of the kitchen. 

Ben was reading through something on a tablet when Rey walked in, and he clicked it off and set it to the side. “You are the sexiest thing I've ever laid eyes on.”

“I find that very hard to believe,” Rey said, leaning up against the wall. “I'm starving. Can we go now?”

“Absolutely,” Ben said, grabbing his keys. “It's important for you to keep up your strength in these first few days. After that, you'll be able to reach a level where you aren't hungry all the time.”

Ben took Rey by the hand and led her into the garage, and Rey let out a low moan at the sight of the cars before her. “You have very expensive taste.”

“You can drive whichever of them that you like,” Ben said, opening the passenger side door to his red Mercedes. “But for now, get in.”

They were both in the car before something occurred to Rey. “My car is still in the club's parking lot.”

“Then we'll go by there and get it, and you can take it to a dealership and trade it in for anything you like.”

“I can't just trade in my car, Ben. I have absolutely no money to get another one with.”

Ben started up the car and pressed the button that would make the garage door raise. “Rey, everything that I have is now yours. That includes all of my money. I am more than happy to buy you whatever car you want.”

“I can't just accept charity like that.”

Ben reached out and pulled Rey into a kiss. “It's not charity. It's called treating you like you deserve to be treated. And don't worry about the money. Once you're done with the little bit of school you're required to do, a job in the family company will be yours. Hopefully, we'll be able to work together the way my parents do.”

Rey settled back against the seat as Ben backed the car out of the garage, and they were several blocks down the road before she spoke again. “School?”

“It's just some vampire-specific courses,” Ben said. “A brief history of our race, how it is your new body works, how to turn someone. Things that need to be taught to all new vampires. Most of it is done through the Holonet now, but you will have to attend actual classes twice a month. It's not hard.”

“I hated school,” Rey said, laughing. “But this actually sounds like stuff I'm interested in.”

“At least you didn't have to sit through fifty years of it,” Ben said, shaking his head. “Your course only lasts forty months.”

Rey laughed again. “Fifty years of school? I think I would have killed myself.”

“It was awful,” Ben said seriously. “But it was necessary as well. Can't have the son of a senator not be properly educated. My mother would have had my head on a platter if I'd tried to drop out after the mandatory years were over. My grandparents wouldn't have been much better either.”

“Grandparents?” Rey asked excitedly. “You have grandparents?”

“Grandparents, parents, an uncle, a brother, a sister, and some cousins,” Ben said. “And they will all be thrilled to meet you. I told Grandma that since we couldn't have dinner yesterday morning because of your transformation that we would go have dinner with them tomorrow morning instead.”

“It's going to take me a while to get used to the idea of eating dinner in the morning,” Rey said, shaking her head. “And I am so happy that you have a large family. I've never had that.”

“Well, now you will have it for eternity,” Ben said, reaching for her hand and pressing a kiss to it. “They will love you as much as I do.”

Rey swallowed hard. “You love me? Ben, you hardly know me.”

“I know that you and I share the same soul,” Ben said softly, kissing her hand again. “And because of that, I know that I love you. I will fall even more in love with you the more I learn. That's just the way that this works.”

“That explains how I feel for you then,” Rey murmured. “Because I thought I was insane for feeling like this after only a few days.”

“You're not crazy, I promise,” Ben said. “Will you tell me more about yourself while we drive? I'll take you to a feeding zone first and then we'll deal with your old car.”

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

As Ben drove, Rey told him about her old job as a waitress, the fact that she never went to college because she didn't have any money to go and she couldn't get a scholarship anywhere, about the pile of bills that was sitting on the dresser in the room of her apartment that still needed to be paid, how she didn't really like her roommate all that much but she needed to have someone to split the rent with or she would have been living on the streets. By the time that they were pulling up along a side street on the ground level, Rey had told him pretty much everything about her life as it was before she'd gone to the club that night.

They got out of the car and Rey looked around, confused as to why they would be where they were. “Ben, there's nothing around here.”

“Yes, there is,” Ben said, reaching for her hand and leading her into the alley behind the building they had parked next to. “Welcome to a feeding zone.”

Rey's eyes widened when she found it full of people, full of humans specifically. “These are people to feed off of?”

“Yes, they're all employed by the Empire for this exact purpose.” Ben pulled her close. “Use your senses and let your eyes go from person to person. Someone will stand out.”

Rey nodded and let her eyes drift over the people until her gaze landed on a blond man in the back. “Him.”

“Excellent choice,” Ben said, walking her to him. When they approached, the man smiled at her and then tilted his head to the right, and Ben's arms slid around Rey's waist. “Listen to me, okay? Bite into his pulse point and suck gently. You'll be able to feel the life slowly drain from him. Try and stop before you kill him.”

Rey looked back at Ben. “Kill him?”

Ben nodded. “Try and stop, but if it happens, that's okay.”

Rey swallowed hard but turned back to the man, and she stepped forward once Ben's arms fell away from her. She let her eyes focus in on his neck, found the place she felt like biting, and then leaned forward and sunk her fangs into his skin. She started sucking immediately but kept herself from going too far. It was hard though because she wanted nothing more at that moment than to drink him dry.

Rey had no idea blood would have ever tasted this good.

Ben kept careful watch of her, grinning as she kept up a slow but steady pace. Rey was doing better at this than he had his first time, that was for sure. When she suddenly broke away, Ben reached out to grab the man and lower him to the ground. Rey was licking her lips when he stood back up, and he wrapped his arms around her waist again. “Ready for more?”

Rey looked down at the man she'd just fed from before letting her eyes drift through the alley before settling on someone. “Her this time.”

“Then, by all means, go feed.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Alderaan**

Rey took a deep breath and smoothed down the skirt of her dress. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, staring at her reflection again, but this time she wasn't wearing knit pants and a cheap blouse. This time she wasn't wearing pajamas. This time she wasn't wearing the dress she wore to the club.

This time she was wearing the sexiest dress she'd ever seen in her life. 

It wasn't that she'd never seen the dress before. She'd had it for years. And it wasn't that the dress was necessarily the sexiest dress that had ever been made. It was demure enough to be appropriate to meet Ben's family in, but on her...on her now...it was the sexiest piece of clothing she'd ever worn.

She wondered if she was going to have a moment like that with every piece of clothing she put on from now on. If her new form would cause her to think that she was this sexy every time she saw herself. Because she certainly looked the sexiest she had ever been. Sexier than the day before too. 

Rey had never thought of herself that way before.

“Mmm, you look delectable,” came Ben's voice, and Rey turned to see him standing there in the most expensive-looking suit she'd ever seen. 

“You look incredible yourself,” Rey said, and Ben came closer to her with a smile. 

“Nervous?”

“Incredibly,” Rey said, trying to take a deep breath again. “Fuck, I keep forgetting that I can't breathe anymore.”

“It'll be a while before you get used to that,” Ben said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Poe still does that and it's been almost five hundred years.”

Rey's eyes widened and Ben chuckled. “Yeah, you're going to meet people who you will consider very, very old. But we must celebrate your birthday, so be prepared for that.”

“My birthday?” Rey asked, confused. “My birthday is not until September.”

“Ah, that was your human birthday,” Ben said, letting go of her and turning towards the mirror. “Your new birthday is the day that you were turned.”

“So I have a new birthday,” Rey said slowly, turning to face the mirror as well. “Does that mean I have a new age too?”

“From a legal standpoint, yes,” Ben said, running his fingers through his hair. “You have been reborn, Rey. Nothing from your human life matters anymore.”

“So, I'm what, two days old?” Rey asked, looking around at the makeup in front of her. She wasn't even sure she needed any of it. “I'm a newborn?”

“Yes, you are,” Ben said, looking over at her. “Don't concentrate on that though. That's only relevant for the legal paperwork. You'll get an identification card with your birth date on it, but that's only necessary when doing things that the Empire requires it for, such as the census.”

Rey let out a laugh. “There's a vampire census?”

“It is important that we know how many of us there are. That helps the Senate out with several different things, including making sure that the Protection Force is properly staffed. You're going to meet some members of the Protection Force tonight, most likely. I'm sure my grandfather has asked Obi-Wan and Satine to come over as well.”

“Obi-Wan is the guy we met that morning, right?” Rey asked, deciding that she really should put on some makeup and then selecting some eye shadow. “Who is Satine?”

“Yes, Obi-Wan is who we met that morning,” Ben said, turning his attention back to the mirror. “Satine is his mate.”

“Oh, cool,” Rey said. “Were one of them born a vampire?”

“Satine was,” Ben explained. “She's the Duchess of Mandalore.”

“The Duchess of what?” 

“Mandalore is our province. She's the ruler of it.”

Rey blinked. “I have no idea what that means.”

“This is why there are some classes that you need to take,” Ben murmured. “We need to get you started on those as soon as possible.”

“So are you going to explain that to me? Or do I have to wait until I take these classes and therefore be an idiot when I meet the Duchess of Mandalore tonight?”

Ben turned around until he was leaning up against the counter, watching as Rey searched through a bag full of brushes. “Mandalore is the region of the Vampiric Empire that covers what humans refer to as the United States and Canada. It is a hereditary position, but you can retire from it, which is what Satine's father did, and that is what made her the Duchess.”

“Interesting,” Rey murmured as she applied her eye shadow. “So I take it that means that the Emperor is a hereditary position as well?”

“That's different,” Ben said, running his hands over his face. “There's only ever been one Emperor. He set up the entire worldwide vampiric governing system about ten thousand years ago.”

Rey dropped the compact in her hand and looked over at Ben. “Ten THOUSAND years ago?”

Ben nodded. “Yep. He is the oldest vampire on the planet. That also makes him the most dangerous, and that's part of the reason why the Empire is so awful.”

“Are you going to tell me more about that now, or is that for another time?”

“I think that is a conversation best left for when you understand what the Empire is a little more,” Ben said. “But I also think that as soon as you start learning about the Empire, you'll be intelligent enough to figure it out for yourself.” 

“Okay, but you tell me if I don't, alright?”

“I promise that one way or another, you will know what you need to know. I mean, you're going to be enlisted to be part of the Rebellion for sure.”

Rey gave him a confused look as she picked the compact back up. “Rebellion?”

Ben nodded. “But not a word about that. There would be all kinds of problems if everyone learned that my mother was part of the Rebellion.”

“Because she's a senator.”

“Because she's a senator. So is my grandmother, for that matter. There would be a whole lot of trouble if anyone found out about either of them.”

“Then I won't say a word.”

Ben watched her for a moment. “I'm going to try something, okay? I want you to tell me if it works.”

Rey just nodded and picked up the mascara. 

_Are you almost done with your makeup? You are beautiful enough without it._

Rey jumped and dropped the mascara, turning to look at Ben. “You didn't say that out loud.”

“But you heard it?”

“Yes,” Rey said, blinking a few times. “So vampires really are telepathic then? Rose said something to me about that but I didn't really think about it too much.”

“Yes, we are,” Ben said, smiling. “And I'm so glad that you heard that. Now try to send one to me.”

“How do I do that?”

“Think about me and then think about what you want to say to me,” Ben instructed. “And then mentally send the thought in my direction. I'll let you know if I hear it.”

Rey stood there for a moment before deciding that she would just answer what Ben had said to her. She thought about him, thought about her answer, and then tried to mentally push the message towards Ben.

_I'm almost done, and thank you for calling me beautiful._

Ben grinned when he heard her voice echo inside his mind, and he pulled Rey close to him. “That was perfect.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Ben bent down and kissed her hungrily. “And I really just want to go back to bed.”

“Dinner,” Rey got out in between kisses. “We have to go to dinner.”

Ben growled but took a step back, running his hands through his hair again. “I know we do. I just want to fuck you more.”

“When we get home,” Rey said, nodding when Ben looked at her. “I'm not sore anymore.”

“You might be sore again.”

“I don't care,” Rey said seriously. “You said all of my senses are heightened and I agree with that. That means I desperately want to know what it feels like when I'm being fucked.”

Ben growled and stepped back towards Rey, but she put a hand up to stop him. “Dinner.”

“The moment we're home, I'm tearing that dress off of you,” Ben said lowly. “So I really hope you don't mind if this is the only time you wear it.”

Rey turned her attention back to the mirror, thought about how much she loved the dress, and then nodded. “You can rip it off me however you want. Now go wait in the kitchen or something. I've got to finish getting ready.”

Ben grinned and kissed her again quickly. “Then I will be waiting.”

**********

**Coruscant**

Enric Pryde came walking into Phasma's office, and she could tell by the harried look on his face that she wasn't going to like what it was that he had to say. “What is it?”

“I heard back from the team that was sent to retrieve Ms. Palpatine,” Enric said quickly. “She is not at the address that we have. Apparently, she moved out abruptly in the middle of the night last night.”

Phasma sat there for a moment as the words circled around in her head. “She moved out abruptly in the middle of the night last night.”

“Yes,” Enric said. “The woman we spoke to at that address said that she returned home from a date to find that all of Ms. Palpatine's belongings had been moved out of the apartment and that there was a note on top of the kitchen counter with the keys that simply said it was nice to have lived with her for a while. The woman was quite upset.”

Phasma brought her hands up to her temples, massaging them as a headache began to build. “She's been turned.”

“I believe so, yes,” Enric said, his voice pleading. “I am so sorry that we didn't get there in time.”

“Silence,” Phasma growled. “You can save your groveling for the Emperor. You will be giving him this report.”

“But Phasma,” Enric started, but he stopped when she bared her fangs at him. 

“You will be the one to explain this to the Emperor,” Phasma said again. “And you will be doing that once he arrives for work.”

Enric nodded. “And until then?”

“Your office will begin the search for her. If she lived in New York City, that means she is likely now in Alderaan. Start there.”

“How are we supposed to search for her?” Enric asked. “We have no way of doing so.”

Phasma rolled her eyes. “It's called the registration process, you idiot. Find her in the system and figure out who it is that turned her.”

Enric nodded and quickly left the room, and Phasma sat there for a moment before picking up her phone. “I need to speak to my mate please,” she said the moment the phone was answered, and a couple of moments later, Hux was walking into the office. 

“Do I dare even ask what this is about?” Hux asked as he closed the door behind him. “Usually if you have something to say, you just say it to me, not get the secretaries involved.”

“Enric has just given me a report on Rey Palpatine,” Phasma said, massaging her temples again. “It seems that someone has turned her before we could get to her.”

Hux's eyes went wide. “What?” he eventually said.

“Moved out in the middle of the night, note on the counter that didn't say anything about where she was going.” Phasma stood up and walked towards the window, staring out it at the bright lights of the Senate building. “We've lost her.”

“Fuck,” Hux said, walking up to her and staring out the window as well. “What do we do?”

“I have Enric's team now searching through registrations in Alderaan so we can find who has her,” Phasma said, looking over at Hux. “And then, well, I suppose the final call will be up to the Emperor, but I suspect we will go there, find her and her maker, and then kill the maker and bring her here with us.”

“What if the maker is her mate?”

“I don't think that will matter to the Emperor. You know how he is about mates. He never has had one himself.”

“I don't like this,” Hux murmured. “I don't like this at all.”

“Neither do I, but we have no choice but to go with it now,” Phasma said, walking back to her desk. “I just thought you should know.”

“Keep me up to date on this,” Hux said as he walked towards the door. “It's vitally important that we get this done as painlessly as possible.”

“Agreed.”

**********

**Naboo**

Ben pulled into the driveway of the biggest house that Rey had ever seen, and she looked around in awe. It was carved straight out of the earth the way that Ben's was, but it had multiple stories and more garage doors than she could count. She turned towards Ben and found him smiling at her. “Welcome to my grandparents' house.”

“I've never seen somewhere like this in my life,” Rey said, opening the car door when Ben did the same. “This place is huge.”

“Well, there has to be someplace for all of us to stay for the holidays,” Ben said, walking around the car and taking her hand. “Don't worry about it, okay? It's just a house.”

“A house full of your family,” Rey said, trying to take a deep breath again. “Fuck, am I ever going to remember not to do that?”

“It's been two days, Rey. It'll take some time,” Ben said, looking up when the door to the house opened. “And there's Grandma.”

Rey swallowed hard as a petite woman came walking out of the house, a bright smile on her face. “Okay.”

Ben squeezed her hand as they drew closer, and the moment they were close enough, the woman reached out and pulled Rey into a hug. “Oh, Rey, it is so wonderful to meet you!”

“It is wonderful to meet you too,” Rey got out, hoping she didn't sound as nervous as she felt. “Thank you for having us over, Mrs...”

“Oh, none of that dear. That's such a ridiculously human thing,” the woman said. “I'm Padmé and that is what you will call me, alright?”

Rey nodded and then Padmé turned her attention to her grandson. “You look happier than I think I've ever seen you. That's so wonderful.”

“Well, finding her is the best thing that ever happened to me, so of course that is the case,” Ben said, pulling Rey closer to him. “Grandma, this is Rey. Rey, this is my grandmother Padmé.”

“It really is so wonderful to meet you,” Padmé said, turning towards the house. “Now, let's get inside. There's supposed to be a heatstorm this morning and there's no good standing outside in it.”

“A heatstorm?” Rey asked quietly as they followed Padmé. 

“Humans have rainstorms that disrupt things. We have heatstorms,” Ben explained. “It's got something to do with the geological makeup of the planet. Sometimes it just gets extremely hot for a few hours and then it goes away. It'll be fine. You'll tolerate it more than you think and you'll be inside for most of it anyway.”

Rey nodded as they stepped through the door into the house and she looked around in wonder. 

She felt like she'd just stepped into Buckingham Palace.

The ceilings were incredibly high and there was artwork that covered almost every inch of the walls. Rich tapestries were among them, woven into patterns unlike anything Rey had ever seen before. The floors were marble, and the furnishings that lined the entryway they were in looked like they'd been made in the 1500s.

And, Rey realized, they probably had been.

Padmé was looking at her in expectation when Rey's eyes fell on her, and Rey smiled at her widely. “Your house is lovely, Padmé.”

“It's Anakin's pride and joy,” Padmé said, smiling. “I'll let him give you the tour because he knows far more about the paintings and furnishings than I do. I don't spend anywhere near as much time here as I would like.”

“Where is Grandpa?” Ben asked as they walked further into the house. “I would have thought that he'd want to be here to meet her as quickly as you were.”

“Ani has gone up to the ground level to get some things,” Padmé said, leading them into a gorgeous sitting room. “He became convinced last night that we needed a new table to accommodate everyone and so he's been up there arranging for things for hours now. He'll be back before sunrise, and I suspect that there will be a delivery team and a new table with him when he does.”

Ben laughed as he led Rey over to a sofa, and Rey sat down and smoothed out her skirt. “That does sound like Grandpa. Any excuse to get more furniture.”

“Oh, I'm sure he'll have somewhere all planned out to put the old table as well. Something tells me we'll be expanding the house again.”

Ben laughed again. “He'll find any excuse to do that too.”

“You've got that right, Benjamin,” Padmé said, turning her attention to Rey. “Now, I want to find out everything I can about my new granddaughter. So let's talk until Ani gets back, and then by the time that's done, everyone else should be here as well.”

“We're the first?” Ben asked.

“I told you to come earlier than everyone else so that I could get a chance to talk to her in peace,” Padmé said seriously. “And you should not be surprised by that.”

“I'm not,” Ben said, squeezing Rey's hand before standing up. “But I am going to go get us all something to drink if we're going to sit here and talk. What would you like, Grandma?”

“Oh, a glass of AB-negative wine sounds lovely tonight.”

“Perfect,” Ben said, turning his attention to Rey. “And you, Rey?”

Rey had absolutely no idea what to say, and so she sent a mental message in Ben's direction.

_Ben, I have no idea what you could possibly have to drink besides blood._

Ben chuckled. _I suppose that I really do need to teach you about that. Do you like wine?_

Rey nodded. _I did._

 _Then I'll get you a glass of wine,_ Ben said. _I'll start you out with A-positive and we'll find your favorite from there._

Ben walked away before Rey could say anything, and she nervously turned her attention back to Padmé. “He's going to bring me some wine too. I wasn't sure what things other than blood you'd have. I'm still learning.”

“Oh, it's all blood, dear. It's just distilled into alcohol. Completely different process than the one the humans use but distilled into alcohol nonetheless,” Padmé said, smiling at her. “Now then, tell me about you. I want to know who it is you are beyond Ben's mate.”

Rey tried to take a deep breath, stopped herself, and then nodded. “I'll answer whatever questions you have.”

“Excellent.”

Padmé started asking questions that Rey felt comfortable answering, and by the time that Ben came back with a tray of drinks, Rey had begun to feel more relaxed. She sipped at her wine as soon as Ben handed it to her and realized that it tasted fantastic, taking a much larger sip as Ben sat down. He reached for her free hand and squeezed it, his voice echoing through her mind.

_You'll get drunk on that very easily since you haven't built up a tolerance yet, so just watch yourself tonight, alright?_

Rey nodded and set the glass on the side table, and then Ben joined the conversation that the two women had been having. Padmé started asking Ben about how Rey's registration process had gone, and Ben was answering in terms that Rey didn't understand, and she looked around the room as he spoke, taking in the beauty of her surroundings.

She'd never been in a place like that before. She probably wouldn't be in a place like that again.

Then she remembered she was at Ben's grandparents' house and realized that she probably would.

Ben had grandparents.

She now had grandparents.

She'd never had grandparents before.

“Rey.”

She shook herself from her thoughts and turned towards Ben, giving him a soft smile. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

“What were you thinking about?” Ben asked, caressing the side of her face. “You looked so happy.”

“Family,” Rey murmured. “I was thinking about how now I have a family.”

Ben leaned forward and kissed her. “You'll have a family for the rest of eternity. I promise.”

“He's right, dear,” Padmé said, smiling at her. “You're stuck with us now.”

“I think,” Rey said, laughing slightly, “that I'm really going to like that.”

“Oh, you say that now, but you haven't met everyone yet,” Padmé said, making Ben laugh.

“They're harmless,” he said, looking at Rey. “Annoying as fuck, but harmless.”

Padmé just shook her head. “You can say that again.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Rey asked, making both Ben and Padmé laugh.

“A family, Rey. You've gotten yourself into a large family,” Ben said.

“And we are very glad that you're a part of it,” Padmé said, standing up. “Do you want some cookies? It'll be a bit before everyone else is here and we shouldn't be drinking on empty stomachs.”

“Cookies?” Rey asked, looking over at Ben in confusion.

“We have foods, Rey. We don't just drink blood,” Ben said, looking over at Padmé. “Are these your famous bloodbread cookies?”

“You know it.”

“Then we'd love some,” Ben said, and Rey nodded. 

“I can't wait to try them.”

“I'll be right back then,” Padmé said, and Rey turned to Ben as she walked out of the room.

“So do you want to tell me more about what dinner will be like tonight then? Because I honestly thought that I'd be drinking blood for the rest of my life. That's what we've been doing at home.”

“That's because you're still newly turned and you need to keep up your strength,” Ben said seriously. “But yes, I'll tell you about dinner. If Grandma made bloodbread cookies, then that likely means we've got Mandalore salad with dinner, and that's my absolute favorite.”

“Well, I'll definitely have to try it if it's your favorite,” Rey murmured, and Ben grinned at her.

“You'll love it. It's delicious.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK. 
> 
> First, I had a majorly fucked up back and couldn't sit at the computer and write. Thankfully, my back is much better now so writing is something I'm capable of doing.
> 
> Second, I had some serious writer's block on this. However, I think that I've managed to break that with this chapter, so hopefully, the next chapter will be coming soon. Hopefully, this chapter doesn't suck either. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy.

**Coruscant**

Phasma was waiting for Hux outside of the office, and they shared a look before she knocked and they went inside. Before either one of them could say anything, Sheev started speaking. “I would like to know how it is possible that you have lost my granddaughter.”

“We did not lose her, Your Majesty,” Phasma said. “We had her located. Someone just reached her before we could.”

“Have you worked out who that is yet?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Hux said. “We have Pryde's office combing through the new registrations in Alderaan since that is where she likely is.”

“When you work out who it is that took her from me, I want them killed immediately,” Sheev said, turning the back of his chair to them. “And then she is to be brought to me in chains.”

“Chains, sir?” Phasma asked.

“Chains,” Sheev reiterated. “She has disobeyed me.”

Hux and Phasma looked at each other for a moment. “Sir, she is likely completely unaware of your existence. I do not see how she could have possibly disobeyed you,” Hux said, and Sheev's chair spun back around.

“Would the two of you like to follow Enric in his death?” he asked, motioning to the body on the floor. “Because I will happily dine on your blood tonight.”

“No, sir,” they both said at the same time.

“Then dispatch a team to Alderaan, have them look through the new registrations in person, then kill her maker and bring her to me in chains.”

“Yes, sir,” they said at the same time again.

“Then you are dismissed.”

Hux and Phasma quickly left the office, Phasma grabbing onto his arm and leading him into her office. “I am not liking this. I am not liking this at all.”

“I'm not liking it either, but what are we going to do about it? There's nothing we can do but what he wants.”

Phasma glanced around the office. _I think we should tell the Rebellion what's happening._

Hux looked at his mate like she was crazy. _What would we do that for?_

_To protect this girl and whoever her maker is. And you cannot be that shocked that I'm suggesting this. You've been just as alarmed by this search for his last living descendant as I have been._

Hux ran a hand through his hair. “I do not like this idea.”

“Do you have a better one?” Phasma asked. “Because I don't.”

“No,” Hux murmured. “I don't.”

“Then I'm assigning you to go to Alderaan.”

“Me?” Hux exclaimed. “Phasma.”

“I can send you to Alderaan instead of a team,” Phasma said calmly. “That way, I can tell the Emperor that you personally are handling it instead of a team from Pryde's office that might botch it the way he did.”

Hux stood there for a few moments before groaning. “Why must you always make so much sense?”

“Because it's what I'm paid for.”

Hux stood there for a moment. _What am I supposed to do when I find her?_

_You let me know. I'll inform the Rebellion and get her and her maker to safety._

Hux closed his eyes when something occurred to him. _And what are we going to tell him then?_

 _That word got out somehow that we were looking for her and the Rebellion got to her before we could,_ Phasma replied. _We'll blame it on the nonexistent team from Alderaan that helped you look through the registrations. We'll invent someone to take the fall for what happened._

 _And what happens when he tries to say that I'm the one who should?_ Hux asked.

Phasma shook her head dismissively. “It won't come to that. I promise. Now go get your office prepared for you being gone. I'll arrange everything else.”

“Phasma,” Hux said, walking towards the door. “This better work.”

“I know what I'm doing!” she called out as he left the office.

She just hoped that she really did.

**********

**Naboo**

“Padmé,” came a man's voice in the middle of Ben telling a joke, “they didn't have a table large enough.”

“Forget about the table and come here, Ani,” Padmé called out. “It's time to meet your granddaughter!”

Ben and Padmé both stood up so Rey did as well, and then a man who didn't look any older than she was came into the room. Rey blinked until she remembered that she couldn't judge age by appearance anymore, thinking about how the man in front of her was much, much older than she was. After all, Padmé looked her old roommate's age and she'd told Rey she was nearly two thousand years old.

Rey took a step closer to Ben and he wrapped an arm around her waist as the man came closer to them. “Rey, I'd like you to meet my grandfather Anakin. Grandpa, this is Rey.”

Anakin gave her a wide smile. “It is so wonderful to finally meet you, Rey. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that you have finally come along to complete my grandson's soul.”

“I'm happy to be here,” Rey said lamely, cursing herself. “It's nice to meet you, Anakin.”

Ben let go of Rey and gave his grandfather a hug. “Thank you for having everyone over for dinner.”

“Well, it was necessary after I found out that everyone is around,” Anakin said, looking over his shoulder at Padmé. “Padmé agreed with me.”

“I came up with the idea, Ani,” Padmé said, waving him to her. “Come sit and talk with us.”

“I would do so, but someone needs to go let Rose into the garage,” Anakin said, smiling at her. “I'll be back later. I need to work out the table situation after I let her in.”

Padmé just shook her head. “We have enough tables to put together that it would seat a hundred people. I don't know why he's so obsessed about needing a table big enough.”

Ben laughed and they all sat back down. “Rose cannot wait to meet you. She's been yelling at me for days about keeping you from everyone.”

“Rose is just excited to have a sister,” Padmé said seriously. “She’s been Leia's only daughter for long enough. She’s only had Kaydel as far as people her age goes, and she’s been quite lonely ever since Kaydel found Beaumont.”

“Kaydel?” Rey asked. “Who is that?”

“Kaydel is one of my uncle Luke’s children,” Ben explained. “Well, turned children. He doesn’t have any biological children.”

“I see,” Rey murmured. “And Beaumont is her mate?”

“Correct,” Padmé said, drawing Rey’s attention to her. “And they will be here tonight as well.”

“They will be?” Ben said, surprised. “I thought they were living in Lerct now.”

“They were, but Beaumont’s job transferred him back to Dulathia, so now they are just a short car ride away again. Luke was very happy about that. He didn’t like that his daughter was so far away.”

“That’s excellent news. Rose must be so excited.”

“Rose is excited about meeting her sister more than anything,” came a woman’s voice, and Rey looked up to see her entering the room. “I cannot believe you kept her from me for so long.”

Ben rolled his eyes and stood up. “Excuse me for wanting a few days alone with my mate before I subjected her to my extremely annoying little sister.”

Rey stood as well and Ben wrapped his arms around her waist. “Rey, this is my sister Rose. Rose, this is Rey.”

“I am so happy to meet you!” Rose exclaimed, giving Rey a hug. “I’ve wanted a sister for such a long time.”

“I’ve never had a sister,” Rey replied, “so I’m looking forward to having one.”

“We’re going to have to schedule a shopping trip to Takodana. You, me, and Kaydel. It will be a blast.”

“You better include me in that,” Padmé said, shaking her head. “Leia and Mara as well. All the girls in the family.”

Rose grinned. “That would be amazing.”

“Sure,” Rey said, completely unsure of what she was agreeing to. “Sounds fun.”

 _It’ll be just like a shopping trip with your friends in the human world,_ came Ben’s voice in her head. _Clothes, shoes, food at a good restaurant. Stuff like that._

Rey nodded and sent a message back to him. _I’ve never done something like that before. I didn’t have friends in my human life._

Ben’s arms tightened around her waist. _No friends, no family. I am so glad that I am able to give you this then. A large family and I’m sure that you will make friends quickly once we integrate you into society more. Though I am enjoying keeping you to myself._

“Mental conversations are cheating,” Rose teased. “Talk out loud.”

Rey looked abashed, but Ben just rolled his eyes again. “I was explaining the shopping trip to her. She’s never been on one.”

“Never been on one?” Rose asked, surprised. “But your friends…”

“Didn’t have any,” Rey interrupted. “Family either. It was sort of just me.”

“Well, it’ll never be just you again,” Rose said, hugging her once more. “Do you need some wine? Because I do.”

“Already have some,” Rey responded.

“Excellent! I’ll be right back.” And then Rose left the room so fast that Rey could swear that she’d teleported away.

“Am I going to be able to move that fast?” she asked after a moment.

“You will be taught how to do that, yes,” Ben said, guiding Rey back to sitting on the sofa. “But it’s really only good when you need to get somewhere very quickly. The Protection Force uses it often. That’s how they got there that quickly on that morning.”

“So, that explains it. I was very confused as to how they sort of came out of nowhere.”

“Protection Force?” Padmé asked, alarmed. “What did you need the Protection Force for?”

Ben explained that morning to Padmé as Rey reached for her wine, taking a big sip. Ben may have said that she’d get drunk easily, but Rey could already tell that she would need another glass or two in order to get through the evening. The members of Ben’s family that she had met so far were very nice, but her nerves were still getting the best of her.

Rose returned a few moments later with a much larger wineglass than Rey had, sitting down in the chair next to Padmé’s. Ben’s brother Poe arrived not long after, giving Rey a quick but happy greeting before going to search for Anakin, and then it was like the floodgates opened and more people showed up than Rey had been expecting.

Ben’s aunt and uncle Luke and Mara were next. Luke was explained to be Ben’s mother’s twin brother. Rey wondered if they had been biological children of Anakin and Padmé’s or if they had just turned a set of twins. She also wondered his age since it wasn’t stated because Luke looked younger than she did. She wanted to know Mara’s age as well. She decided that she would ask Ben later. Luke was very kind to her, thrilled that his nephew was no longer alone, and Mara was excited for another girl to join the family, saying there were entirely too many boys. Luke joked that Mara should turn a woman next time then, and Mara just responded that she would do so.

Then came Kaydel and Beaumont. Kaydel was one of Luke and Mara’s children, turned four hundred and fifty years earlier. Beaumont was her mate, turned two hundred and twelve years ago. Rey had to remind herself that she couldn’t judge age by appearance anymore and just take in the fact that everyone around her had lived for hundreds of years. Kaydel was as excited as Rose was to have Rey join the family, and Beaumont greeted her with fondness before turning his attention to Ben and starting a conversation about something Rey didn’t understand.

A man who introduced himself as Snap showed up next, and he was introduced as Luke and Mara’s son and Kaydel’s brother. He greeted Rey briefly before searching out his mother and father, and Ben explained that Snap probably had some news from work that was too important to keep to himself. Rey remembered that Ben had mentioned a family company but she didn’t know what they did. She added that to the growing list of things to ask Ben about.

Snap was followed by Obi-Wan and Satine, and then Bail and Breha Organa, and then Mon Mothma. And then after Mon came a man and a woman who Ben immediately stood and greeted, wrapping his arms around Rey’s waist when she stood. “Mama, Dad,” Ben said. “I’d like you to meet Rey. Rey, this is my mother Leia and my father Han.”

Rey swallowed hard and tried to smile. “It’s nice to meet you,” she offered weakly, and she was in an embrace from Leia before she could blink. 

“Oh, child,” Leia murmured. “I’ve waited for this day for so long. My son has been so lonely. Welcome, Rey. Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you,” Rey said, her voice a little stronger. “I’m glad to be here.”

Leia pulled back and smiled at her. “Nothing to be afraid of, dear. I promise.”

“Leia, give her some space,” Han said, pulling her back and smiling at Rey. “I’ll keep her under control, I promise.”

“I have a new daughter, Han. I am allowed to be excited about that.”

“Excited? Yes. Smothering the poor girl? No.”

“I was not smothering her!”

“Could have fooled me.”

“It’s fine,” Rey said, her voice getting more confident sounding. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a mother that cared about me like that. I’m going to love that once I get more used to it.”

Leia gave her a curious look. “A long time since you had a mother?”

Rey nodded. “I was orphaned when I was six.”

“Oh, child,” Leia said, pulling Rey into her arms again. “I am so sorry to hear that. Just know that won’t happen here. You’ll always have us.”

“That’s what I heard,” Rey replied. “And I’m happy about that.”

“Well, now that all the introductions are done, how about we get ready to eat?” Padmé said, and Rey had forgotten that she was in the room. “Leia, come help me in the kitchen. Han, go round up everyone else. They’re probably upstairs in the east parlor playing sabacc.” 

“Playing sabacc without me, huh? I see how it is.”

“Han, do as Mom asked, please,” Leia said, giving him a kiss. “And only play a few games once you get up there. Mom and I will have the food on the table soon.”

Han chuckled and walked out of the room, and Leia gave Rey one more hug. “I cannot wait to get to know you better. Having another daughter is going to be so much fun.”

“Rose is already talking about a girls-only shopping trip,” Padmé said as they walked from the room. “Takodana too. It’s been ages since we’ve all be there.”

Once they were gone, Rey turned to Ben and he pulled her close. “You okay, baby?” he asked softly, and Rey nodded.

“I think so,” Rey said, trying to take a deep breath again. “Fuck, that’s really going to bother me until I stop doing it.”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? It’s only been a couple of days.”

“I am thrilled to have such a large family,” Rey said after a moment. “But that was really overwhelming.”

“I bet,” Ben said, drawing her into another kiss. “But I promise you that everyone is going to love you. Not as much as I do, but as much as familial love can be. And I am so happy that I can give you that. You deserve a family, Rey, and I’m sorry that you didn’t have one for so long.”

“It’s alright,” Rey said, smiling softly. “I wasn’t meant to have a human family. I was meant to be brought to life by you and then have this family. I will always believe that.”

Ben kissed her again. “I am so glad that you feel that way. Often, when a human is turned, they miss their human life tremendously and it is a very depressing first few days. But you haven’t been like that.”

“Because my human life was awful and there is nothing about it to miss,” Rey responded. “And now I’m facing this new life with absolutely no idea what’s going to happen to me, but it’s exciting and challenging and I cannot wait to learn how to live. How to really, truly live.”

Ben grinned. “I can’t wait to teach you. But the university needs to teach you too. We really need to get you enrolled in those classes. We’ll do that when we get home this morning.”

“Oh no,” Rey said, shaking her head. “We have other plans.”

“Is that so?”

“Someone said they wanted to rip this dress off me. I will be very disappointed if that doesn’t happen the moment we walk in the door.”

Ben let out a low growl and pulled Rey close. “Don’t do this to me here. I don’t want to be needing you that much in front of my family.”

“Then I won’t,” Rey said. 

Ben kissed her passionately anyway, his hands roaming her back. Rey practically melted into the kiss, unable to think about anything but the way Ben’s kiss made her feel. It had been incredible before she had been turned, but now...now...she couldn’t even put it into words. Could not describe it at all.

Fuck, she needed to know what it felt like to be fucked so badly.

“Can we leave right after dinner?” Rey asked when they broke apart. “Or do we have to stay for a while?”

“We can leave,” Ben replied. “I’ll need to get you home since you are newly turned. You’re supposed to be resting as much as possible.”

“So they won’t think we’re leaving so we can go fuck?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll think that, but it doesn’t matter.”

Rey sighed. “It does to me.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Ben said, kissing her softly. “It’s a natural part of our lives. Besides, the Empire urges us to partake in sex often. We’re still trying to build our numbers back up after the last war.”

Rey swallowed hard. “Ben, the last war between humans and vampires took place nearly three hundred years ago.”

“Yes, it did,” Ben said. “And if you want, I’ll tell you old war stories.”

Rey blinked. “You fought in the war?”

“Everyone of age did,” Ben said. “And if there’s ever another one, which there probably will be, and you’re over one hundred and ten, then you will be drafted in to fight too.”

Rey felt terror flow through her and then reminded herself that there was no reason for her to be scared. That wasn’t happening now or anytime soon. “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Then we’ll change the subject.” Ben fell silent and closed his eyes. “Ah, dinner is ready.”

“What exactly are we eating?” Rey asked as Ben took her by the hand and led her out of the room.

“I’m not sure what Grandma made tonight. We’ll have to see. But don’t worry, I’ll be right next to you and if you don’t like something, no one will be offended. We don’t know what type is your favorite yet.”

“What?”

“The different types of blood have different tastes. We’ll find your favorite and then Grandma will always make sure there is something with that type for you to eat.”

Rey shook her head as she tried to adjust to that. “I had no idea. I thought blood was just blood.”

“Remember how I said to forget everything you think you know about vampires? This is part of that.”

“I’ll try to do that then.”

Ben squeezed her hand. “Come on, let’s go find good seats at the table. I want to sit as far away from my parents as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because we’ll never get to eat in peace if we’re near them. Mama will just pester us with questions through the whole thing.”

“Then sitting away from them sounds like a good idea. I’m going to be confused enough. I won’t need to be answering questions too.”

Ben leaned over and kissed Rey’s hair. “This is gonna be alright, baby. I promise.”

Rey nodded and tried to temper her nerves. It was just dinner with Ben’s family.

No, it was dinner with _her_ family.

She just smiled at the thought.


End file.
